On 8 November, the EU Delegation to Ukraine starts the nation-wide Regional Media Contest:

“Together we learn and grow – the EU invests in our common future, supporting Ukrainian education and youth projects in both the European Union and Ukraine, with the objective of facilitating the development of a talent pool of youngsters engaged in Ukraine's recovery and European integration.”

It is part of the All-Ukrainian communication campaign entitled ‘Together We Learn & Grow. The EU and Ukraine Creating a Common European Future’, to inform Ukrainians about the support and opportunities provided by the EU to Ukrainian education and youth in times of war.

Organising partner – Institute of Mass Information (IMI)

Media partner – Detector Media

Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine has severely undermined Ukraine’s education. Damaged and destroyed schools, air raids and attacks on energy infrastructure, temporary occupation – all this has dramatically changed the learning environment across Ukraine. More than 5 million Ukrainian schoolchildren, students and their teachers had to switch to online learning and teaching in full or partially, and some academic programmes have been suspended for a considerable period of time.

However, learning continues even in these circumstances, and the capacity to ensure its availability and safety is both a challenge and an opportunity, as this is about the future of the nation and those who will work hard to rebuild and modernise Ukraine. Therefore, from the very outbreak of the large-scale war, the EU adopted a number of decisions that would effectively narrow the learning gap and support educators, create enabling conditions for learning continuity and development opportunities for schoolchildren and students, both those studying in Ukraine and those forced to seek asylum in EU member states.

For this purpose, the traditional lines of support were supplemented by creating a safe learning space for children in Ukraine and supporting schools affected by the war or those of strategic importance, such as VET schools and retraining institutions essential for Ukraine's recovery. A number of EU-funded projects are tailored to provide professional support to young veterans and to strengthen the role of young people in amalgamated communities. The EU's wartime programmes focus significantly on psychological support for students, teachers, and guardians, as well as raising awareness of safe behaviour, including with regard to mine risks.

Along with education, the EU pays attention to creating safe learning environments: significant funds have been channelled to rehabilitate educational institutions, set up shelters, provide generators and school buses. At the same time, students can benefit from EU-supported learning platforms, and receive textbooks, classroom equipment, and modern technical aids for learning and practice from European partners.

That is why the goal of the All-Ukrainian Together We Learn & Grow communication campaign is to inform the widest possible audience of Ukrainians about the progress made, the follow-up action plan, and the opportunities available to Ukrainian schoolchildren, students, youth, and teachers thanks to the support of the European Union, and the role of media, especially regional media that are in close contact with people on the ground, is key to achieving these goals.

What the Contest is expected to achieve

• raise awareness of regional media journalists about the EU's support to Ukrainian education and youth
• improve the quality of information and awareness of the target audience and the general public about the training and lifelong learning opportunities provided by the EU to the education sector and Ukrainian youth
• encourage journalists to explore the EU-Ukraine cooperation and European integration in general.

Journalists from regional and local print and online media, TV/radio stations, and digital platforms with permanent communication channels and a steady audience are welcome to apply.

The Contest accepts entries published during the contest period or no earlier than April 15, 2024, that address the role and importance of the European Union's support for Ukrainian education and youth.

The authors of the best stories will receive valuable prizes, including rechargeable power units, tablets, multi-lamps with charging function, etc.

The awards ceremony will take place at the closing event of the Together We Learn & Grow communication campaign in January 2025.

Entries will be accepted until 15 January 2025 (23:50 local time) at the following link.

You can find out more about the terms and requirements for the Сontest entries here.

Should you have any questions about submitting your entries, please contact us: Iryna Zemlyana, IMI, [email protected]